Posts by Miles Hurley
Landmark Legislation: RAISE Family Caregivers Act
The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act has been signed into law on January 22, 2018. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will address the needs of our nation’s family caregivers through the development and implementation of a coordinated national strategy. The new law directs the Department of Health and Human Services…
Read MoreMyths About Aging
Deepak Chopra, M.D, put together a list of myths regarding aging people. You’ve probably heard a thousand times that as you age, your body and mind begin to “go.” You can no longer move the way you used to and your health deteriorates. This is a myth and those “facts” couldn’t be further from the truth.…
Read MoreThe Sleep-Loss Epidemic
Dr. Matthew Walker, a self-described “sleep diplomat” earned his degree in neuroscience from Nottingham University, UK, and his PhD in neurophysiology from the Medical Research Council, London, UK. He subsequently became a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, USA. Currently, he is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He…
Read MoreVirtual Dementia Tour
Trying to mimic the feelings of a person with dementia, caregivers often go through a virtual tour, aiming to increase empathy for dementia patients. Some of their experiences include the following feelings and emotions. It was dim; my world was reduced to shadows but the worst part were the spikes inside my shoes. Then there…
Read MoreLearning About Hospice
Hospice has been covered by Medicare since 1982. Health-care providers have to certify that a patient is terminally ill, with six months or less to live, which can be difficult to predict, according to both Diane Meier, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care and professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai…
Read MoreHospice Care – When to Begin?
Many people who are near the end of life wait too long to enter hospice care, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. In hospice care, attempts to cure a disease are usually replaced with treatments solely for pain and suffering, delivered by a specialized team. It usually…
Read MoreCaregiving is Risky Business
Retirees have been hearing a steady drumbeat of warnings about the threat of high long-term health care expenses. Many articles about long-term care discuss strategies from the perspective of retirees who eventually might need care near the end of their lives. These articles encourage retirees to take responsible steps to pay and arrange for care,…
Read MoreAvoid Holiday Stress
The holiday season is often a stressful time for those with dementia and their caregivers. The celebrations, decorated spaces, visitors, and interruptions in routine can leave those with dementia feeling agitated, confused and overstimulated. The caregivers are often frustrated and anxious. The Alzheimer’s Association offers the following guidelines to minimize discomfort during this time of…
Read MoreMoving Your Parent To Your Home
Remodel, accommodate, share, prepare, budget – these are just the beginning concerns to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the move-in. Setting expectations about private versus shared areas of the home, determining who is in charge and what the financial expectations are will have to be immediately determined. Some initial objectives include providing the proper…
Read MoreHome Health Aide Industry – Growth and Pay
The largest categories of American’s fastest-growing jobs offer some of the country’s lowest wages and weakest benefits. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an increase of 1.2 million jobs for home health and personal care aides over the next ten years. By 2026, the home health aide industry will add 425,600 positions, an increase…
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